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The Pilates Tower is next most popular Pilates machine after the Reformer. Where Mat Pilates is more difficult to do if you are not already conditioned to be aware of your form and the muscles you’re using, apparatus like the tower helps you find your muscles with body conditioning assistance. The tower also comes with various attachments that use resistance springs to help you tone those muscles as well. Our Pilates toning tower reviews focus on two specific models that are designed for home use and we’ll compare them to help you decide which one to buy – the Supreme Pilates Pro Vs Supreme Toning Tower.
Both the Supreme Pilates Pro SPP089 and the Supreme Toning Tower are made by the same company, Beverly Hills Fitness. The former is a more advanced and expensive model, so we’ll cover the differences in the two as well as the pros and cons of both. You can do around 100 exercises with either of them.
Table of Contents
- 1 Reasons Why a Tower Compliments Mat Pilates Well
- 2 Reasons Why a Pilates Tower Complements a Reformer Well
- 3 Supreme Toning Tower Features
- 4 Supreme Toning Tower Exercises
- 5 Supreme Pilates Pro Features
- 6 Supreme Pilates Pro Exercises
- 7 Differences in Features of Supreme Pilates Pro Vs Supreme Toning Tower
- 8 Supreme Toning Tower Reviews
- 9 Supreme Pilates Pro Reviews
- 10 Advanced Pilates Tower Exercises
Reasons Why a Tower Compliments Mat Pilates Well
Mat Pilates is great to do at home. You don’t need expensive equipment and all you need is space for a yoga mat. However, many beginner practitioners and those who are less fit find it difficult to maintain proper form or be able to target specific muscles without the aid of anything. You have to be fully aware of your movements, your spine and which of your muscles are being targeted with each exercise. That’s where a machine like a tower or reformer can help.
Springs: Using resistance springs can help you with certain exercises. When doing partial sit ups and rollups they aid you when you hold onto a spring loaded top bar during the pullup. If you normally find it difficult to get enough lift, they aid you there as well.
At the same time, springs can also make you work harder with some exercises if you work against their pull. Because you’re adding resistance to your workouts, your muscles have to work harder and you will quickly feel which muscles are being targeted. Your core strengthens faster too.
Stretch: You can get extra stretch and release of tension with tower Pilates by bracing yourself against the tower stands or a bottom-loaded bar while working against the pull and then releasing. If you work all day at a desk or have been out dancing all night, try a round of Pilates tower exercises to stretch the muscles and spine out to relieve tension and instantly feel taller and more relaxed. If you have back or spine problems, you can add a spine corrector to your tower workouts to help with that.
Isolation: A tower is great at making you focus on one set of muscles at a time, whether they’re in your arms, your core or your legs. For those looking to sculpt a particular part of your body, there’s no better way.
Reasons Why a Pilates Tower Complements a Reformer Well
The Tower is really a derivation of another apparatus invented by Joseph Pilates – the Cadillac or Trapeze Table. It is a great machine but way too bulky, and even most Pilates studios couldn’t afford to buy it or reserve so much space for it. That’s how the Pilates tower equipment was created. A tower will let you do everything you do on a Cadillac but take up much less space and you can even get an affordable one for your home gym.
It looks similar to a Pilates Reformer, except that the platform doesn’t move and there are no pulleys. Resistance is only provided by springs and bars. It takes up less space than a reformer but more place than a Pilates Chair. Some studios have models with a tower built into one end of a reformer but these are pretty expensive if you want to buy them for home use. It is cheaper to get a home reformer and a home tower separately. While most practitioners will choose the reformer over the tower, you may want to think about what you really want to achieve first and then choose both or either one. We’ll explain:
Stability: The Reformer is based on using your body to move the carriage, while on the Tower, only you move with the help of attachments while the platform is stationary. For those who prefer the feeling of a stable base, the Tower is the one to choose.
Flexibility in Exercise Routine: Most Reformer workouts follow a standard set of exercises to be done one after the other. Beginners can find this intimidating. With a Tower you have more flexibility and can do more repetitions of certain exercises that you feel you need more. The learning curve for these exercises is also lower and mastering beginner exercises is fast, so you have more motivation to keep at it in order to move to the next level. You can always go back to the basics as well to add variability.
If you’re looking for more intense body and muscle building workouts using resistance springs or bands, you should take a look at a suspension training system. It uses your body weight along with resistance bands for a more intense workout and you can take the system anywhere with you as long as you have a suspension hook, post or tree branch to anchor it from.
Supreme Toning Tower Features
The Supreme Toning Tower is the lighter and more affordable option.
Supreme Toning Tower Exercises
Supreme Pilates Pro Features
The Supreme Pilates Pro SPP089 is more expensive but also more advanced.
Supreme Pilates Pro Exercises
Differences in Features of Supreme Pilates Pro Vs Supreme Toning Tower
Both these models are designed for home use and combine Pilates attachments with the Barre in one piece of equipment. You can perform a variety of exercises on both to give you a sculpted, longer, leaner and healthy body. They differ in a few ways.
Supreme Toning Tower Reviews
It is amazing how inexpensive this model is and is a good backup to your studio classes or if you just want simple regular Pilates workouts at home.
Because the Barre is of fixed height, it not recommended for those over 6 ft tall. If you are, then get the Supreme Pilates Pro that has an adjustable Barre.
There are two sets of hooks for your springs to attach, so it’s easy and quick to change their attachment points between workout sets.
If you don’t have floor space to keep it open after you’re done, it’s easy enough to store away because folding and rolling it around is simple.
Supreme Pilates Pro Reviews
Although this model is double the price of the above model, if you’re using this so that you can replace or reduce your studio classes, it is well worth the cost. You will make it up with the amount you save on those classes. Keep in mind that a commercial reformer and tower in one can cost upwards of $4000!
Because the Barre is height adjustable, if you want to hook your springs lower or higher you have to adjust the Barre each time, which is inconvenient if you want to move smoothly from one exercise to the next. The best thing to do is to find one ideal height for the most number of exercises and stick to that before changing.
Although most users say that this unit is sturdy, a couple of heavier customers say it is not and the platform creaks when you stand on it. However, even very tall people can use this, as the Barre height is adjustable.
It is not the easiest thing to fold away so you’re better off finding a permanent place to keep it open all the time.
If the DVD workouts that come with this equipment are too basic for you, just go to YouTube and look for Ellen Croft’s Tower exercises like the video below or the ones provided specifically for the Pilates Pro and Toning Tower.
Advanced Pilates Tower Exercises